Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to encourage collaborative and constructive negotiations and agreements for rights to install telecommunications apparatus.

The Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Bill contains measures to encourage the use of Alternative Dispute Resolution mechanisms, which are specifically aimed at encouraging more collaborative and constructive negotiations.

However, the government recognises that legislation is not the only way in which better collaboration can be achieved. Officials from my department have held monthly Access to Land Workshops over the last 12-18 months, which cover a number of workstreams and attract attendance from stakeholders across the telecommunications industry, including site provider representatives. I am pleased to say that these workshops have made excellent progress and one of the outputs of this work is the creation of a new industry body, which in time will continue this work independently of DCMS.

I understand that this body will be called the National Connectivity Alliance and that so far it has appointed a steering group of 24 members from across all parts of the telecommunications sector. It aims to bring together stakeholders from across the telecommunications industry to discuss issues of mutual interest, to improve collaboration and understanding and to be a forum where members can share best practice.

I welcome this development and fully support the creation of this body and wish them every success for the future. I hope that site providers and the telecommunications industry share my sentiments and will work together to ensure its success.